Omnipod

Hi, after 17 years of saying no to an insulin pump I'm now considering it. My consultant mentioned the omnipod to me the other day & was just wondering what the general opinion was on it? In my teenage years i never liked the thought of a pump attached to me constantly but now I'm older I'm passed caring lol. I've watched a few videos on YouTube & everyone raves about it, please let me know your thoughts & any advice ☺

Hi!I use the omnipod system and it's the best thing I ever did! I would not go back to injecting / pens again. You have so much more flexibility and you can adjust basal rates and settings for particular times of the day if you notice a pattern of hypo's / hypers at a certain time in the day. You can exercise more easily and the machine does all of the calculations for you with regards to how much insulin you need. You just enter all of your settings (your insulin:carb ratios, your targets, etc. etc.) and then once you have calculated your carb in your meal you enter that and the machine works out the amount of insulin based on your settings and your carb and hey presto! It just delivers it once you have confirmed it! You can also alter that amount if there is any need to.I was also sceptical about having something attached to me all the time, but the great thing about the omnipod is that it is wireless so you only have the actual pod on you which you change once every 3 days.Beware though that as with any move to the pump, there is an adjustment period to work out the different basal rates at the different times of the day, but it only took 1-2 weeks for that to settle in me - moved over to it about 5/6 years ago now (I have had type 1 for 19 years) and it's honestly the best thing I could have done.They are also always improving pumps to include things like CGMS's etc, so may be worth doing some research to see what features they all have to see which one will suit you.Good luck!Sarah

Peter
DUAG Committee Member
University College London Hospitals (UCLH)
104 posts

Hi,I've been an Omnipod user for 2.5 years now and, like Sarah B, would never go back. I'd agree with everything that Sarah B says about the ease of use and the learning period. In my case it took longer to get things stabilised after switching, but as that included a significant decrease in insulin dosage, it's probably not surprising. The main thing though is that it's definitely worth the effort. My control is improved and HbA1c levels have never been better,

If I was being critical the only thing I would mention is that it's not available with an integral CGMS, but as that combination is even more difficult to get on the NHS, it's not a serious drawback, plus a Libre can fill the gap if needed.

I've not had a pump with a separate reservoir, so can't compare, but it is so small and discrete that I can't image an older style pump would rival the Omnipod.